The Other Goldsworthy
by 911ost at sea
Summary: Eli has been hiding more than just a dead ex-girlfriend. what happens when his biggest secret comes back and attacks him? Literally! Will Eli be able to handle it, or will he finally come to terms with the fact that some things are just beyond his control
1. Chapter 1

Eli, Claire, and Adam exited Degrassi High School together just the same way as they had done ever day for the past several months. Nothing at that particular moment had struck them as unusual. Why should it have when they had no reason to believe that it was going to be anything but a normal school day, when in fact it was going to be a day that they may never forget.

Claire and Eli had walked up ahead, subtly flirting as usual. Adam was following several steps behind trying to shield his mocking glare when he came to an abrupt halt and said, "Hey guys, do you hear that?"

It would have been hard not to hear the sudden blare of scremo music that had erupted around them.

"What is that?" Claire shouted, covering her ears.

Eli, looking extremely pleased, replied, "That's 'The Comedown' by Bring Me the Horizon. I used to love this song."

Adam rolled his eyes, "Shocker."

Claire grabbed Eli's sleeve and started tugging on it frantically, "Eli, either someone else in this school drives a rare vintage hearse to school, or that music is coming from your car."

They all turned around to look, and sure enough the source of the music was none other than Morty himself.

"What the..." Said a rather confused Eli. He stalked over to his car, the other two following close behind him.

Eli stuck his head through the already rolled down window and punched the power button on the radio but the song continued to play. Right before Eli could bring himself to ask _where is that coming from, _he heard Claire shriek "Eli look out!" And not even a moment later, Eli felt someone jump on him from behind and he fell back onto the curb.

"Get off of me!" Eli yelled. He grabbed the arm of his attacker, and was just about to snap the person's wrist in half when a familiar voice cried "Eli!"

He looked up, and at first he couldn't believe his eyes. It was a girl on top of him. She had wild black hair and her eyes were coated with more eyeliner than the guys from Panic at the Disco. She was dressed in slick black clothes along with a skirt that came up just above her knees. She had big, bulky boots just like Eli's.

Stunned, Eli asked, "Kaylie?"

The girl laughed with excitement, "Eli, it's been forever! Just look at how long your hair got!"

At a loss of words, Eli let go of the girls arm and sat there dumbfounded.

"Well it hasn't been that long." The girl said, folding her arms, "You look like you're seeing a ghost."

"What? No, no..." Eli said, snapping out of his trance, "I...I'm just surprised is all."

Adam cleared his throat awkwardly and nudged Claire's arm, "Am I the only one who feels like they've missed something here?"

"Oh," Eli said, casually trying to hide the fact that he had forgot Adam and Claire were still there.

He and Kaylie got to there feet and Eli said, "Guys this is my...well this is my sister Kaylie."

Claire's eyes widened with surprise, and Adam chuckled, "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that you two are twins."

Standing side by side, it was pretty obvious of their resemblance, and how they looked almost embarrassingly alike.

Kaylie scanned herself, than looked to Eli and smiled, "Well I wouldn't say that it's the most well kept government secret."

"No kidding." Said Adam.

Claire opened her mouth into a near perfect oval, clearly still trying to wrap her brain around the situation.

"I'm sorry," Kaylie muttered, "I'm being rude aren't I?" And she walked over to a stereo that was sitting on the sidewalk and turned off the music. "Eli and I used to listen to that song all the time, and I just got really bored waiting here all day." She spoke about a million miles a minute.

Claire took a breath and turned to Eli, "You never told us you had a sister, let alone that you were a twin."

Eli paused, "It didn't exactly come up in the context of conversation."

Kaylie frown, her cheerful mood was now weighed down by sadness, "You mean you didn't tell them about me?"

Eli opened his mouth to answer but Adam quickly interjected his skepticism, "Wait, if you're Eli's sister than why don't you go to Degrassi too?"

Kaylie and Eli exchanged looks.

"Because," Said Eli quickly, "Kaylie was living with our aunt in Arizona for the past few months while we were adding an edition on to our house."

Adam raised his eyebrows, but Eli pretended not to notice. He jammed his hands in his pockets and said, "I should take you home Kaylie. Dad is probably panicked with fear that you've been kidnapped by gypsies again."

"Yeah...I guess. Well..." Kaylie bit the corner of her lip, "It was nice meeting both of you."

"I'll call you later." Eli told Claire as he slid into the driver's seat. Kaylie hopped in the other side and they sped off. They both stayed eerily quiet for the entire ride home but they remained in the car even after they pulled into the driveway.

Finally Kaylie broke the silence, "Why didn't you tell your friends about me Eli? Is it because you're ashamed of me?"

"What? Of course not! How could you possibly think I'm ashamed of you?"

"Well you didn't look all that thrilled to see me in the parking lot."

"That's only because I was so surprised...I just didn't know you had come home." He added when he saw the disappointed look on her face. He took her hand gently, "Look, you caught me off guard. I couldn't be happier that you're home, honest."

Kaylie smiled faintly, "I tried really hard back there with your friends, you know. I tried _so _hard." She blinked and tears welled up in her eyes but she quickly wiped them away with her hand.

Eli reached over and lifted her chin with his finger, "It's alright Kaylie. It's going to be okay."

Kaylie nodded half heartedly, "Hey, isn't that my necklace?" She asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Eli touched the silver guitar pick necklace around his neck, "Yeah, I know it was important to you and I didn't want it to get lost. I haven't taken it off since the day you left."

Kaylie brushed away another tear from her cheek and whispered, "Thank you Eli... So are you ever going to tell your friends the real reason I was gone?"

Eli turned away and grabbed the steering wheel, suddenly looking serious, "I will, but only when you want me to tell them... only when I know they can handle it."


	2. Chapter 2

"Eli, how could you possibly have kept this a secret from us for so long?" Claire asked.

"Quite easily actually." Replied Eli.

Claire tilted her head, evidently not amused, "It's not funny Eli."

He sighed, the smirk leaving his face. It had only been a few days since Eli's twin sister Kaylie showed up and already she had stirred up more drama than she bargained for, leaving Eli, of course, stuck in the middle of it all.

"Alright, I should have told you about Kaylie sooner. I'm sorry okay?"

Claire and Adam looked at each other with uncertainty. Eli held his hands up in surrender and said, "Look, this is Kaylie's first day at Degrassi. My dad's dropping her off later and it would be immensely appreciated if you two would be nice to her."

"Of course we'll be nice to her." Adam said matter-of-factly.

Claire shut her English notebook, "After all she's not the one to blame for our lack of knowledge on her existence."

Eli leaned forward with narrowed eyes, "You're a gem Claire."

"Than what does that make me?" Adam asked.

Eli thought a minute than placed a hand on Adam's shoulder, "That makes you a member of the rare breed called Adam."

"Very cute." Adam sneered.

Just than the bell rang and they all hurried inside.

Eli had been abnormally jumpy the entire morning and Claire was starting to become suspicious. Her suspicions only grew worse when Eli didn't show up for lunch.

"Adam, please tell me you've seen Eli." Claire said, dropping her lunch tray onto the table so hard that her iced tea spilled out onto Adam's comic book.

"Hey, don't hate on the comic book, it never did anything to you." Adam shook off his book and Claire looked at him with big begging eye until he added, "I heard his name get called down to the office, that's all I know I swear."

Claire sat down and rolled her eyes.

"That annoyed expression wouldn't happen to have anything to do with yours truly would it?"

Claire and Adam whirled around to see Eli standing at the end of the table, backpack slung over his shoulder and Kaylie attached to his arm, looking rather nervous.

Claire hesitated, "We were just wondering where you were."

"I had to get Kaylie from the front office. Here, sit." He ordered, ushering her into the chair across from him and Claire.

Kaylie sat down stiffly, placing her hands in her lap and keeping her head down.

After a period of awkward silence, Eli elbowed Claire's side and she jolted upright, "So Kaylie, what was it like spending time at your aunts?"

"Oh, um...it was okay...Kind of boring though...there's not really much I have in common with a bunch of old ladies who play bingo."

"I never understood why anyone liked that game." Agreed Adam.

"I guess that's one of the many unexplained mysteries of human nature." Eli said.

Adam shook his head, "Don't you ever just speak plain English?"

Kaylie giggled, "Hey, we shared a womb for nine months and I still have no idea what he's talking about half the time."

Adam smiled and moved his tray to the side making his comic book fall to the floor with a muffled _thud_.

"I'll get it." Said Kaylie. She pushed her chair back and stood up only to be shoved forward by Mark Fitzgerald. He looked back over his shoulder and chuckled as Kaylie stumbled backward.

"Real smooth!" Eli yelled after him, and then he turned his attention to Kaylie, "Are you alright?" he asked, helping her back in her chair

"Yeah, I'm...I'm fine." She said shakily, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Is that the guy who gave you the near death experience?"

Eli shot a glance over at Adam and Claire who both shook their heads and shrugged, innocently.

"Who told you about that?" Eli asked quietly.

Kaylie shifted uncomfortably, "Nobody told me anything...I felt it when it happened."

"What do you mean you_ felt _it?" Adam questioned.

Kaylie's eyes briefly met with Eli's before saying, "Well, Eli and I have a sort of 'connection' that comes from being twins. It's hard to explain, but to put it simply; we can feel each others emotions. It's strongest when were close together or when the emotion is most intense. For instance, the night of Eli's 'near death experience' I could feel his fear all the way from the—Arizona." She hastily corrected herself. Eli's eyes widened with warning and she quickly added, "And when he's talking to Claire, I can practically feel the butterfly's in his stomach from across the room."

Adam laughed behind his palm and Claire's face turned scarlet.

Eli faked a laughed, "It makes you a pretty hard person to keep a secret from."

Kaylie tried for a smile, but she too found her pale cheeks growing warm.

She stopped Eli in the hallway after lunch. "Eli, wait!" She called. "I'm sorry about what I said at lunch about you and Claire. I forgot I was supposed to pretend like I was from Arizona and I panicked... I had to cover it up and it was just the first thing that came to my mind. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

Eli leaned up against the lockers, "I'm not six Kaylie. You underestimate my ability to stay nonchalant in such situations like this. "

"Oh please Eli, you said yourself that you can't keep a secret from me and I could feel that you were embarrassed back there." She ran her hands through her hair and paced anxiously. "I'm so stupid. I humiliated you in front of your friends; I made a horrible first impression. God I'm such an idiot!"

She hit her head against the lockers, lightly at first, than gradually getting harder and harder until Eli intervened, "Kaylie! Stop! Stop it Kaylie!" He seized her shoulders and a spun her around. A thin line of blood trailed down her forehead just above her temple.

"Calm down Kaylie. It's alright, you have to believe me. You're just getting stressed out," He wiped a dot of blood away from her eyebrow, "you need to relax okay, everything will be fine once you calm down."

Kaylie took one shaky breath after the next until her breathing became flat and normal again, "I'm sorry," She whispered, "I did so well the past few days, I thought I would be better. I thought I could stay in control."

Eli squeezed her arm, "You can."

She touched the cut on her head and looked down at the small spot of blood on her finger tip, "I really hope you're right."

Authors Note: **Okay, I realize this chapter was a bit stranger than the first and I can't say that it will make my list of favorites compared to my plans for the rest of this story, I promise it gets better. I suppose this was just one of those necessary chapters that have to be there in order for the rest of the story to make sense, so bare with me, the next chapter is where it really starts to pick up. **** Feel free to comment!**


	3. Chapter 3

Claire Edwards took her seat in the third row of her Biology class, right in the center of the room so that she got the most optimal view of the lesson. She sat down and flipped open her textbook to page thirty-four as the note on the front board instructed her to do.

She had just begun reading when a shadow fell over her shoulder and she felt someone's presence hovering above her.

"I didn't know you were in this class too Claire."

Claire looked up and saw Kaylie smiling down at her.

"Oh, Kaylie, what are you doing here?" She asked.

Kaylie swung her hip to the side to accommodate the weight of her books, "The first Biology class I was placed in didn't work out, and so I got put in here. At least now I have someone I know in my class." She said happily.

Claire let out a questionable laugh, as though she wasn't sure whether she was happy or sad. There was something off about Kaylie that Claire simply couldn't put her finger on, and trying to figure it out had been weighing heavily on Claire's mind lately.

Claire pointed to the seat next to her, "You can sit there if you'd like."

"Thanks Claire." Kaylie beamed, and glided into the desk beside Claire.

Mrs. Cohen flew into the room, covering the space between the door and the front board in three long strides.

"I hope everyone did their homework last night," She said bitterly. Then she went around the room slapping a yellow sheet down on each student's desk, "Because I've decided to double the point value, and any work not completed will be marked as a zero." A few groans came from the back of the room and Mrs. Cohen continued, "Don't thank me yet, you're also going to be taking a pop quiz."

Now the whole class howled in protest. Mrs. Cohen held up her hand sternly and silence fell over the room. "If anyone has any objection to taking the quiz, they can feel free to come and discuss it with me in detention this afternoon." When no one spoke she smirked, "Good, you all have three minutes to answer the questions I've handed to you, starting now."

Claire, having known the material like the back of her hand, finished the quiz with over a minute to spare. She casually peered over at Kaylie who seemed to be working peacefully, but upon closer inspection, Claire could see that she was gripping her pencil so tightly that her knuckles turned white and her hands shook slightly.

"Pencils down." Mrs. Cohen commanded. She snatched up everyone's papers, pausing only when she got to Kaylie who was still frantically scribbling her answers. Mrs. Cohen cleared her throat deliberately louder than normal, but Kaylie ignored her.

Irritated, Mrs. Cohen spat, "I know you may be new to this class, but when I say _pencil's down _I expect you to do so."

Kaylie reluctantly stopped writing and allowed the teacher to collect her work. Claire kept a close watch on her for the rest of the period, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. If anything, she could say that Kaylie was being strangely quiet, she had barely lifted her head once.

"So who can tell me what causes mutations in a person's DNA?" Asked Mrs. Cohen.

Kaylie's head shot up and her hand soared into the air. "It's because of a person heredity."

Mrs. Cohen shook her head, "It's a contributing factor, but it's not the main cause I was looking for."

"Oh..." Kaylie whispered.

Claire saw Kaylie's left foot twitch and her nails dig into the side of her notebook. Her eyes became glassy and wet as her hand crawled up in the air once more. "Can I go to the bathroom?" She asked so quietly that her voice was hardly auditable.

Mrs. Cohen nodded at her and she darted out of the room.

Claire's jaw shifted, contemplating on what she should do. She grabbed Kaylie's notebook and examined where her nails had dug through nearly ten pages. Her decision finally became clear to her and she stood up, "I have to use the bathroom too. It can't wait."

Mrs. Cohen gave her a look of deep disapproval but simply stated, "Make it fast."

Claire walked swiftly through the hall, hesitating when she arrived in front of the bathroom door. She didn't need to be inside to hear the sound of something shatter. The way it echoed through the empty hallway was like a gunshot and Claire briefly considered turning around. But she couldn't bring herself to go back so cautiously, she pushed open the door.

Every faucet in the room was running at full blast and the mirror that covered the length of the wall had been smashed in the middle. Kaylie was pacing back and forth quickly, rubbing her wrist and mumbling, "I got it wrong. How could I do that? How could I get the answer wrong? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Her mascara ran down her face along with along with a river of tears. She didn't notice Claire until she heard the door shut behind her and she jumped back in surprise. "Oh my god, Claire!" Kaylie cried, wiping her face with the back of her sleeve. "I...I...I didn't break the mirror Claire, I swear. It was broken before I got here! I didn't do it!"

Claire started, not knowing what to say.

Kaylie ran over to her frenzied with fear, "You can't tell Eli about this Claire, okay?" She pleaded, "He can't find out about this! He just can't! I got a little upset, that's all, he doesn't need to know! You can't tell him, please! Promise me you won't say anything! Promise!"

Claire backed away, a million thoughts were going through her mind at once, but as she looked into Kaylie's tearstained eyes, she found herself saying, "Okay...I promise..."

**A/N: I haven't taken biology yet so don't hate me for not getting my facts right, but feel free to comment on anything else. **** Oh, and there will be more Eli in the next chapter, sadly he didn't get to make an appearance in this one.**


	4. Chapter 4

The weeks that followed the whole bathroom escapade, went without any further incident. Of course that didn't stop Claire from feeling on edge when Kaylie was around. She winced every time Kaylie popped up from behind or showed up to sit with them at lunch. Claire figured things had gotten way too quiet and it was only a matter of time before Kaylie snapped again.

It also bothered her to keep all of this a secret from Eli. She was never one for secret keeping and normally wouldn't have kept this from him for so long, but every time she tried to confront him about it, Kaylie's terrified face flashed before her eyes and she couldn't go through with it. Unfortunately for her, she found herself trapped in that exact situation after first period Monday morning.

"Morning sunshine."

Eli's voice came out of nowhere from over Claire's shoulder, making her leap about three feet in the air.

"Whoa, easy tiger. Don't be so tense." Eli said as Kaylie appeared beside him.

"You two really need to learn to approach people from the front." Claire panted.

"I'll be sure to put that on my to do list," Eli joked, "But I have to warn you, my list is already filled with things I have to do."

"Yeah, like what?"

"This." Said Eli, ad he backed Claire into the lockers, kissing her smoothly. When they finally broke apart, Claire looked at Kaylie flustered.

"Don't mind me." Kaylie teased, "I have to go anyway. I have an English report to present next period, so I should get going. See you guys later." Then she disappeared into the crowd.

"Now where were we?" Eli asked, closing in for another kiss but Claire swerved to the side and pushed him away gently.

"Oh, cold woman." He whimpered.

"I'm sorry, there's just something I've been meaning to tell you."

Picking up on the seriousness in Claire's voice, Eli backed off, "Okay."

Claire Inhaled, "Well...I..." But she was cut off by the sharp buzz of the bell. All the remaining students in the hall piled into the nearest classroom so Claire said, "You know what it's nothing. I don't want to make us late."

Eli's raised his eyebrows doubtfully as he uttered, "...Alright."

Kaylie fiddled with her thumbs as she anxiously waited to present her English report in front of the class. She read and reread her paper over twenty times the previous night and now it was stacked in a neat stack on her desk. She stared down at the words on the page. They swam before her eyes and became fuzzy.

_Calm, _she told herself, _relax._

She concentrated hard on the sentence in front of her, mouthing the words as she read them. Gripping them in her brain. Everything had to be perfect. She couldn't mess up.

She was just getting confident with herself when a hand swept across her desk, sending her papers flying into the air.

"Oops." Said a very unsympathetic Fitz as he passed.

Kaylie gasped and scavenged the floor for her report.

Fitz took his seat behind Kaylie, "You missed one." He said, snatching up one of the stray papers from under him.

When Kaylie went to grab it Fitz tossed it behind him, "Oops again."

Kaylie frown as she went and fetched it.

The English teacher Mrs. Bates stood up, "Alright, there's no time to waste today. We have far too many reports to hear so let's start. Kaylie you go first."

When Kaylie didn't move Fitz kicked the back of her chair, "Are you deaf?" he sneered.

She got up and started walking to the front of the room. Her legs got more and more wobbly with every step up to the point where she tripped over her own foot. The class laughed as she stabilized herself against a chair.

By the time she got up to the front, everyone was already anticipating her to screw up. All their eyes were staring at her, boring into her skull like hot knives.

Mrs. Bates tapped her watch, "Whenever you're ready."

Kaylie chewed her lip, beads of sweat formed on her neck and around her scalp and her hands trembled violently. She could feel every nerve in her body pulsate against her skin and she heard every painstaking tick of the clock. Everything was waiting for her. Watching her. Knowing she was going to make a fool of herself.

She looked down at her paper but couldn't make out the words, "Uh...um..." She stuttered.

"Wow, right when I thought the Goldsworthy family couldn't get any dumber, they go and bring in this idiot." Fitz taunted.

The class roared with amusement. Mrs. Bates tried to speak over them but it was no use. They were too loud. There was so many of them.

Suddenly the room seemed to be shrinking and Kaylie's heart was beating rapidly. "I have to go." She said and let her papers drop to the floor. She had to get out. She couldn't breath.

Meanwhile, in another English class just a few rooms over, Eli and Claire were busy arguing over what they would do for their class project when suddenly Eli clutched his stomach with his hands and doubled over into the isle.

"Eli! Are you okay?" Claire cried, bending down next to him.

Eli nodded, his breath coming in choppy gulps. "I'm fine, "He looked up at Claire, "But I don't think Kaylie is."

Back in the hallway, Kaylie (as Eli predicted) was far from fine. She sprinted through the hall until she came to her locker. Her chest heaved as she reached to the top shelf, fumbling around for a small bottle containing a bunch of red pills. Her hands were so shaky that it took her several tries before she got a good enough grip to open the lid. She popped two pills in her mouth and swallowed.

Her throat was extremely dry. Standing on the tips of her toes she reached for the water bottle when...

"Boo!" Fitz yelled behind her.

Kaylie screamed. Her hand slipped from her water bottle causing it to fall over and spill on her head.

"Wow, what a retard." Fitz spat.

Kaylie, now dripping wet, felt a rush of anger, than the anger turned to embarrassment, which turned into sadness until she was flooded with so many emotions at once that there was only one thing she could do.

Scream.

And she did, from the top of her lungs, right there in the middle of the hall. Stopping only when her face went purple.

Teachers rushed out of their classrooms to see the cause of the commotion an a few curious students poked there heads out from the doorways.

Eli knew who it was right away and he and Claire ran out of class to look for Kaylie.

By the time they got to her she was huddled in a ball against the wall, rocking slightly. Fitz was standing over her in shock.

"What the hell did you do?" Eli hollered at him.

Fitz took a step back, "I didn't even touch her. She just started screaming. Your sisters a total freak man!"

"Don't call her that!" Eli shoved Fitz back, "You don't know anything about her! You have no idea!"

Fitz cursed at him under his breath but Eli was already done with him and was now crouched down in front of Kaylie. "Kaylie," He whispered, but she hid her face in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "Kaylie... its okay...just look at me..."

Slowly, she raised her head. Her eyes were puffy and red, filled with tears.

Eli sighed, he looked over at Claire who was watching them from a safe distance than he said, "Come on Kaylie. Let's get you out of here." He scooped her up in his arms, lifting her with ease. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shirt. He carried her all the way out the door.

No one even tried to stop them.

**A/N: Earlier in this chapter when Eli falls over, it's because of his connection with Kaylie. Since she was so upset, it made him feel her pain. Let me know if I didn't make that clear in this chapter and I'll change it. Thanks! I'll try to post the next chapter soon. **

** Please comment **


	5. Chapter 5

All Adam knew was that something had happened with Kaylie. Claire had yet to tell him what it was, but by the sound of urgency in her voice and the way she was dragging him through the school by his wrist, he knew it was something big.

"Claire, I'm sure Eli didn't go far. He probably went to blow off some steam of something." Adam reassured her, but Claire was in too much of a hurry to listen.

"You didn't see his face Adam. You didn't see_ her _face. Eli was so upset, especially when Simpson made him take Kaylie to the nurse's office, and no one's seen him since."

"He's around here somewhere, don't stress out so much."

Claire stopped so suddenly that it made Adam run right into her back. She turned around sharply, "Kaylie just had a meltdown in the hallway. She smashed a mirror and nearly flooded the bathroom and now I can't find Eli! So excuse me for being a little bit stressed!" Claire ranted.

Adam's face softened but he said nothing and followed Claire out the door.

They rounded the corner and found Eli sitting alone on the steps.

"Eli! Thank god!" Claire sighed in relief, "We've been looking everywhere for you"

Eli showed no sign of hearing her. He just gazed blankly into the distance. Claire and Adam sat down on either side of him.

" Kaylie's going to be fine." Claire promised.

Eli half laughed, "Kaylie's never been fine Claire. She never was and she never will be…she's sick" No one said anything so Eli continued, "She has a severe mood disorder which makes her get overwhelmed by even the tiniest things, and she suffers from frequent panic attacks. That's a toxic mix by any standard. It wasn't always this bad though, she used to have it under control, but last year she started to take a turn for the worst so I had to admit her into a mental hospital."

"You told us she was at your Aunt's house." Adam pointed out.

"Well I lied… I thought that if I could keep Kaylie under control than nobody would have to know she was sick." He turned his face away from theirs, "I didn't want anyone to treat her differently just because she has a few problems. It's not her fault! She didn't choose to be this way…" he threw his hands up angrily, "People don't seem to understand that."

Claire placed a comforting hand on Eli's shoulder, "That must be really hard on both of you." Than she retracted her hand shamefully, " I can't say that I didn't suspect this though…I kind of walked in on Kaylie throwing a tantrum in the girl's bathroom."

"And you didn't tell me!"

Claire shrunk back into her shoulder like a turtle in its shell, " I wanted to, but Kaylie made me promise not to say anything."

"Well it doesn't matter now anyway," Eli said, resting his head in his hands, "The school is probably going to recommend that we hospitalize her again."

"Maybe that would be for the best." Adam commented.

Eli looked at him furiously, "I haven't seen my sister in over a year! The only hospital that would take her is over three hundred miles away and if she goes back there it's likely that I'll never see her again!" Eli fumed. He took a deep breath and recollected himself, "She's my sister. She just got home…I can't loose her too."

Before anyone else could speak, a black car pulled up in front of them and a man with combed black hair and oval glasses hopped out of the drivers seat. It was the man that Adam and Claire had come to recognize as Eli's dad.

"One thing! I ask you to do one simply thing for me Eli and you manage to mess it up!" He shouted at his son, " I told you to watch out for your sister and keep her safe!"

"I have kept her safe!" Eli replied, standing up with rage.

"Oh really, than why did I get a phone call from the principle telling me to come pick Kaylie up from the nurse's office? Go ahead Eli, explain that to me."

But Eli said nothing. His dad flashed him a deadly grin, "That's what I thought." Then he stepped aside and entered the school.

"Your dad has no right to talk to you like that!" Adam protested.

Eli sat back down, "He's just been angry at me ever since I had Kaylie admitted to the hospital. I guess you could say he's in denial about my sister. He always thought that she would wake up one day and be back to her old self. He refused to accept that she had gotten too difficult to handle, so I sent her away without his permission…he had a right to be angry."

"Don't worry," Said Adam. " My mom always told me that things get worse before they get better and I think it's safe to say that the worst is over."

Claire nodded in agreement. Little did they know that the worst was still yet to come…

A/N: This chapter didn't have any action, but I thought I needed it in order to clarify things a bit before going into the next chapter, which will be far more intense. But don't worry, this isn't going to turn into a child abuse story if that's what your thinking. Haha.

** Please leave reviews and constructive criticism! Thanks a lot! **


	6. Chapter 6

"Fitz this is stupid. You're just going to get yourself suspended…again."

"Quiet!" Fitz ordered, "I can't pick this lock with you talking, so shut it!"

It was eleven at night and Fitz and his friend Shay were alone at the side door to Degrassi. Aside from the small flashlight Shay was holding, the entire school was dark. By that time, the janitors had gone and all the doors had been locked. Naturally, that didn't stop Fitz and Shay from trying to get inside, in fact Fitz had been vigorously prying at the lock for almost an hour. He was just about to call it quits when they finally heard a small click and the door snapped open.

They snuck through the cafeteria and down the hall to locker 117. Fitz pulled out his crowbar and started wedging it between the crack.

"So who is this chick anyway?" Asked Shay as he shined the light where Fitz was working.

"It's emo boy's sister."

Shay gave a sinister laugh, "No way dude! You're still messing with that kid?"

"Nah, I'm over it."

Shay looked taken back, "Then why are you breaking into his sister's locker?"

Fitz grunted and thrust his weight against the crowbar. The locker sprung open, nearly flying off its hinges. "Because, " Fitz replied rummaging through Kaylie's belongings, "this girl flipped a shit yesterday in English. It was hilarious!"

"But why are you in her locker?"

Fitz grinned, "For these." He held up a small medicine bottle containing red pills. Then he walked quickly over to the guy's bathroom. He popped open the lid, spilled the pills into the toilet, and flushed them away.

"What are you doing man?" Shay questioned.

Fitz rolled the empty bottle in his hands, looking quiet satisfied with himself, "Let's see what happens when that spaze can't have her meds."

They went back out and placed the bottle back in Kaylie's locker.

"I still don't get it." Said Shay, "If you don't want to get back at Eli, then why are you torturing his sister?"

Fitz shrugged, "I've got to get a laugh somewhere." Shay nodded and they headed for the exit, shutting the locker door as they left.

It had been several days since Kaylie's episode and she hadn't been back to school since. Her dad kept her home even on days when she felt fine. He told her that he just wanted to be sure she was really ready before he sent her back.

When the day came to return to Degrassi, Eli gave her a ride. "Are you nervous?" He asked as they parked.

"No." Kaylie assured him, but he shook his head in disbelief.

"Liar."

The truth was that Kaylie was more than just nervous, she was terrified. Now that everyone in school knew she was mentally unstable, everything would change, and that alone was enough to give her a panic attack. But she resisted, mostly for Eli's sake. The last thing she wanted was for him to suffer her pain.

Eli escorted her to her first class. She started inside but he quickly grabbed her hand. "Don't be scared, I'm only a few rooms down if you need me." He let her hand slip from his and turned away.

Kaylie went in and took her seat. All of the students in the surrounding desks scooted a foot back. Kaylie wanted desperately to cry, but she held it in. She knew she couldn't break down now so she closed her eyes and counted the seconds until the bell rang.

After what seemed like and eternity of Spanish class, Kaylie went to get a drink by the fountains. Fitz and his gang were clustered together in the corner and she heard them chuckle and whisper as she passed.

She bent down to get a drink when Shay stepped forward from the group and leaned on the wall next to her.

"So is it true?"" he asked.

"What?" Kaylie choked, spitting out water.

"Is it trued that you're a psychopath?"

Kaylie coughed, "No!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, would you prefer the term mentally insane?"

"Shut up!"

"So it is true than isn't it?" In a flash he spun around and had Kaylie pinned back against the wall by her arms. Kaylie struggled and squirmed but it was no use. She was trapped. He leaned in closer and whispered, " I bet that means you're a freak in bed." And he kissed her on the neck. Fitz and the others erupted with laughter.

"Let go!" Kaylie screamed, thrashing about, "Let go! Let go! Let go!" With a sudden burst of strength she managed to plunge her knee right between his legs and break free.

She ran for it, faintly hearing Fitz say, "I told you she'd crack."

She was wheezing by the time she got to her locker. Her throat was on fire, making it painful to breath or move for that matter. She opened her locker and grabbed for her pills. She tried shaking them into her palm but nothing came out. Bringing the bottle up close to her face and saw that it had been emptied.

Now she was in a total panic. Everything was spinning in a whirl of colors like a carnival ride and she could barley feel her feet drag across the floor. She had to get someone. She had to find help.

Unable to see straight, she felt her way down the hall by resting her weight against the wall.

"Kaylie? Are you okay?" The fuzzy outline of Adam appeared before her. She stumbled forward, on the verge of collapse. "Kaylie! Kaylie say something!" Adam yelled.

Kaylie's knees buckled and hit the ground hard. "Something's wrong." She gasped.

Adam kneeled down next to her, "Should I call someone? Are you having a panic attack?"

Purple spots were clouding her vision now and she struggled to say, "No…this is…different…I can't breathe." With that she fell face first to the floor. Adam shook her but she didn't stir. A crowd of students gathered around them as Adam yelled, "Someone get help!"

On the other side of the building Eli and Claire were walking to class together when a sharp pain exploded in Eli's body. He dropped his bag and gripped his chest.

"Eli? What is it? Is it Kaylie?" Claire asked worriedly.

But Eli couldn't get enough air in his lungs to answer her. This wasn't like the other times when he'd feel a brief shock or rush of emotion. This was something different entirely. It engulfed his entire body liked being dragged down into the ocean. He felt his eyes roll up into his head and then black.

Complete and utter nothingness…

**A/N: Doesn't it just kill you that I ended the chapter like that? Just kidding, it probably didn't kill you…probably…. Haha. It really hurt me to write that part about Fitz's stupid friend Shay. I wanted to slap him the whole time I was writing. Grr. Anyway, there's something very wrong with Eli and Kaylie, and it's bigger than just panic attacks! Oh no! As if they didn't have enough problems.**

**Next chapter coming soon **

**Please review and leave any comments or suggestions! I really love them!**


	7. What dosn't kill you

Eli's eye's flickered open to see that he was lying in a room quite different from his normal surroundings. As he blinked the room into focus he realized that everything was dull and white, the walls, the sheets, even himself, considering he was wearing a white paper gown.

"Eli, your awake!" Kaylie called from the doorway. She too was wearing the blank hospital attire. She also had oxygen tubes coming from her nose. It wrapped behind her ears then looped around and was attached to a monitor on wheels. It took Eli a moment to realize the he was hooked up to a machine as well.

Kyalie shuffled over to Eli's bed, "I didn't think you were ever going to wake up! You've been asleep for a week!"

"A week!" Eli shouted hoarsely, shooting upright in his bed.

Kaylie laughed, "I'm just joking, it's only been a few hours."

Eli sunk back against the pillows, "You're a real comedian."

Kaylie sat on the edge of the bed across from Eli's, "Well, you were out a pretty long time. You missed the Nightmare Before Christmas special on SyFy." She said, pointing to the television hanging on the wall.

"As if we haven't seen that movie a thousand times."

Kaylie wagged her finger at him, "Speak for yourself, I've seen it two thousand times."

Eli propped himself up, the monitor next to him beeped steadily every time he took a breath. He eyed a curious object that was lying on a chair by the window.

"Claire's here," Kaylie said when she saw Eli notice the bag, "That's her purse by the window. She's down at the cafeteria but she should be back soon. Adam was here too but he left about an hour ago…oh, I almost forgot," She got up and slapped Eli's cheek gently, "That was from Claire. She told me to slap you for scaring the crap out of her."

"What happened anyway?"

Kaylie's smile drooped and she shook her head sadly, " I honestly don't know. The doctors are still trying to figure it out, but I know it wasn't a panic attack. This was way worse than that."

"Yeah I know." Eli groaned, rubbing his head.

Kaylie fell back onto a chair, "That's another thing, you shouldn't have to know what it felt like Eli. This is my problem and you shouldn't have to endure this pain just because I do."

Eli smirked, "That's the beauty of being twins, neither of us ever has to suffer alone."

There was a light knock at the door and Claire peeked her head through the crack, "Can I come in?"

Eli perked up at once, looking healthier than he had been just moments before, and he said, "You better, it would be very hard to kiss you from all the way over there."

Claire blushed and slipped inside. The sheets crunched beneath her as she sat on Eli's bed then leaned forward and kissed him.

After numerous seconds went by, their lips parted and she pulled away, "You scared me half to death back there." She whimpered.

"Don't worry, Kaylie already slapped me for that."

"Good."

Claire was just about to go in for round two when the door burst open and Mr. Goldsworthy tumbled inside.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" He huffed, "I couldn't get out of my meeting and traffic was outrageous going down the turnpike. Are you okay honey?" He grabbed Kaylie's shoulders than felt her forehead and cheeks.

"I'm fine dad," Kaylie moaned, swatting him away, "Well…I'm fine in theory."

"Don't talk like that, you're going to be alright, don't ever doubt that."

Kaylie nodded, but she couldn't bring herself to look into her father's eyes.

"When did you get here Claire?" He asked, suddenly aware that there were others in the room.

"I…I've been here since nine." She stammered.

"Fantastic. It's good to know that someone was here to keep Kaylie company."

"And what do you think I'm here for, the free food?" Eli interrupted.

Mr. Goldsworthy folded his massive arms across his chest, "That kind of sarcasm won't get you anywhere in life Eli."

"Duly noted." Eli sneered.

The two of them glared at each other with carnivorous eyes, just waiting for the other to attack. Right before either of them could go in for the kill, a man in a white coat stepped inside and the tension between them was instantly cooled.

"I hope I'm not interrupting, but I have the test results." The Doctor announced, tapping his clipboard with his pen.

"What tests?" Asked Eli.

Kaylie squirmed in her chair, "I went to get some X-rays and tests done while you were asleep…I must not have mentioned that."

Mr. Goldsworthy sat down and took his daughters hand in both of his, "So what is it? What's your diagnosis?"

The doctor coughed, tucking his clipboard under his arm, " Perhaps we should talk about this in private. I'll give you both some time to get dressed then we'll talk in my office. Family only, if that's alright." He said in an attempt to sound cheery, but was failing quite miserably.

Claire and Mr. Goldsworthy left the room while a nurse came in and unhooked Kaylie and Eli from their monitors. They both changed back into their normal cloths and then headed down to the Doctor's office.

The walls to the office were mostly filled with windows, so even though Claire wasn't allowed in, she could see everything that happened. There were three chairs positioned in front of the Doctor's desk, Eli took the one closest to the door. He sat down and looked over his shoulder, Claire was staring back at him with her hand pressed against the glass. She moved her mouth and he could vaguely make out the words _it will be okay, _coming from her lips.

Why did everybody say that? The funny thing was that the more Eli heard it, the less true it became.

"Let's get right down to it, shall we?" Said the doctor as he readjusted his glasses, "I'd like you to take a look at Kaylie's X-rays."

Mr. Goldsworthy, who had been too nervous to sit looked closely at Kaylie's brain X-rays that were hanging on the wall.

The Doctor pointed to a dark patch right in the middle of the picture, "It appears in this X-ray that Kaylie has a large mass in the upper part of her temporal lobe."

Mr. Goldsworthy massaged his chin, "What does that mean?"

The Doctor took a long painful look at Eli and Kaylie who were silently dreading what they were about to hear.

"We ran some tests that indicated the mass is most likely a brain tumor."

"…Tumor…" Mr. Goldsworthy echoed as his eyes became glassy.

"It seems that your daughter was probably born with it, but it just recently started growing and feeding off brain cells. You may have noticed some behavioral changes that started about a year ago…"

"That was when my condition got worse…" Kaylie said, fighting back the tears

"That's because your tumor attached itself to the part of your brain that had been infected and enhanced the intensity of your condition."

"What can we do?" Mr. Goldsworthy sniffled.

The Doctor shook his head, "Unfortunately at this stage the tumor has gotten to large for an operation. Frankly, in surprised she even made it this far…I give her a month at best. I'm so sorry."

"Oh god!" Mr. Goldsworthy sobbed, running his hands through his hair, "Oh god, oh god, oh god!"

Kaylie covered her mouth and took in sharp deep gulps of air. Eli was the only one who seemed relatively unfazed. He saw nothing, and heard nothing.

He felt nothing.

He calmly stood up and walked out the door. Claire was waiting for him on the other side with tears in the tips of her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but instead she threw her arms around Eli's waist and hugged him until everything grew silent…

A/N: I really hated to have to picture Eli in a hospital gown. It's really not his style, but there wasn't really a way around that so I apologize for that image. Haha. I also came up with a bunch of new ideas last night so this story may go on for several more chapters. Whether that makes you happy or sad is up to you but I'm pretty pumped. Haha

** Thanks so much for reading and keep reviewing please! It makes my day so much brighter! **

** Next chapter coming soon **


	8. Play with fire and

A month. That's all she had left. It wasn't even enough time to take her final exams in school.

She had a library book due back next month, would she even be here to return it? So many bad thoughts plagued Kaylie's mind and filled it with a list of things she wouldn't be able to do.

An unsettling stillness fell over the Goldsworthy household during the days that followed Kaylie's diagnosis. It wasn't as though none of them cared; they simply didn't know what to say to each other anymore.

Kaylie, who had become rather pale and fragile in appearance, sat at the kitchen table and stared into what may have looked like an ordinary bowel of cereal, but to Kaylie it was a portal. As she sat there mesmerized by the crackling oats, she saw pictures of her life play like a slideshow over her eyes. She remembered all the things she'd done and then reflected on what she would have done differently.

"That must be one intriguing breakfast," Said an equally sick looking Eli as he glanced over her shoulder, "But you know, staring at it won't make it magically teleport into your stomach. You may want to try using one of these." He placed a spoon between her fingers but she let it slip from her grasp and fall to the floor.

"You have to eat something." Mr. Goldsworthy begged.

"I'm not hungry."

Mr. Goldsworthy sighed. He got up and kissed Kaylie lightly on the forehead, "Why don't we go out to eat later then? Anywhere you'd like."

Kaylie nodded slowly.

"You're going to be late for school Eli." Mr. Goldsworthy pouted.

Eli shrugged, "One can only hope."

Mr. Goldsworthy shook his head at him hopelessly, and continued to do so even after Eli was out the door.

"You look like shit." Adam said during lunch

"Thanks for those inspiring words of confidence Adam, I really appreciate it." Eli hissed.

Claire reached across the table and touched his arm, "You really don't look good Eli, are you not feeling well?"

"Oh, I'm feeling absolutely grand."

"Just promise me that you won't try to get back at Shay and Fitz. You're in no condition to go around starting fights."

Eli held up a hand for her to stop, "Whoa, back up, what do you mean get back at Fitz and Shay? Why would I need to get back at them?"

"No reason!" Claire slurred, immediately regretting she had mentioned it.

"Now you have to tell me." Eli insisted.

She knew that he would find out sooner or later, so in a calm easy voice she told him everything she knew about what Fitz and Shay had done to Kaylie. By the time she had finished, Eli's hands were balled up into fists and there was a raging fire in his eyes. "I'll kill them."

"Eli stop," Claire whined, "It's already over with."

"Well what am I supposed to do, let them get away with it? I'm sorry Claire but I can't do that." He tossed his lunch tray in the trash and walked away.

Fitz and Shay were smoking on the curb outside of school. Eli had been watching them for a while, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

When the time came, Eli approached them with a purposeful stride. He felt the anger building inside him with every step.

"So you two think you can just take advantage of my sister and get away with it?"

Fitz blew a stream of smoke out of his nose, "Kind of."

"You're disgusting!" Eli fumed.

Shay flicked his cigarette butt in front of Eli's shoe and stomped on it, "Your sister should be thanking me. I gave her more action than she'll ever see again."

That was it. Eli lunged forward tackling Shay to the ground. He straddled over him and punched him square in the mouth.

Fitz shoved Eli to the side, leaving Shay wide open to kick him in the ribs. Eli got to his feet, sending a devastating blow to Fitz's head. Fitz cursed and pulled Eli up by his hair. Shay got a grip on Eli's shoulders and held him steady while Fitz scoffed, "Let's see how you like this, tough guy" And he dug his cigarette into Eli's forearm.

Eli screamed, he managed to free his left hand and used it to elbow Shay in the chest. They released him and stumbled backward.

"Stop it, all of you!" Claire yelled from the top of the stairs. Simpson was right behind her.

Shay and Fitz fled the scene before Simpson saw them.

"I told you not to fight!" Claire bellowed, rushing over to Eli, who was bent over his knees, panting.

"Another fight?" Asked Simpson hotly, "This had to stop. I'm already on thin ice with the school board. This will ruin us!"

Eli straightened himself up, "I had to, they were trying to use my sister. They stole her medicine!"

Simpson looked at Eli, unsure of whether or not he believed his story.

"It's true," Claire stepped in, "Eli was just standing up for his sister who's too sick to do so herself...besides you said yourself that you're on thin ice with the school board, so maybe it would be best for everyone if we pretended like this little fight never happened."

Simpson pondered this a moment, then he winked and said, "What fight?"

When Simpson left Claire exhaled heavily as though she had been holding her breath the whole time.

Eli swayed on his heels and nearly collapsed but Claire caught him and pushed him back on his feet, "I told you that you were in no fit state to fight. Come on, you should go home."

Claire helped him to his car. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Eli offered Claire a ride home to which she hesitantly accepted.

"I defended you back there." Claire said as they pulled into her driveway. "You know I don't usually promote fighting, and I'm not starting now, but I defended you because I know you must be upset. They hurt your sister; you're allowed to be mad..." Claire pursed her lips like it hurt her to talk, "You can protect Kaylie from bullies Eli, but you can't protect her from dying...you have to realize that..."

"Just get out of the car Claire." Eli said, barley managing to submerge the anger that was boiling beneath his skin.

Claire reluctantly got out of the car and went in her house leaving Eli sitting alone with Morty, a lone tear slipping down the side of his face.

His sadness was cut short by a buzzing in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Come home now!" His dad screamed, than the phone went dead...

**A/N: This isn't going to turn into another war between Fitz an Eli, I just felt that Fitz should be punished for what he did, he really had it coming to him this time. Haha. As a mini preview, the next chapter will be pretty dramatic for the Goldsworthy family. (I know, not much of a preview)**

** And thank you again for all your reviews! I was so shocked to see how many people read my story. No one has ever liked my writing before so it really means a lot to me! Okay, I'm getting all emotional now. **

** Please keep leaving comments and reviews! Thanks so much!**


	9. You might get burned

"What did you do to your sister?"

His father patronizing tone was the first thing Eli heard as he walked through the door.

"It's good to see you too dad."

"Don't get smart with me," He said, jabbing his pointer finger in Eli's face, "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Dad _please_ don't do this." Kaylie moaned as she slumped against the banister. "It was nothing, really."

"Nothing? Anything that makes my daughter scream in agony can't possibly be nothing."

"What are you talking about?" Eli asked, struggling to get a word in edgewise, "What happened?"

His father's eyes narrowed into two thin slits, "You tell me."

Eli suddenly recalled the fight he had with Fitz and Shay... and the cigarette burn on his forearm. "Oh crap!" Eli exclaimed, slapping a hand to his forehead, "I got into a fight with some jerks at school, and one of them burned me with his cigarette, that's probably why Kaylie was in pain." He rolled up his sleeve to reveal a gray, ashy circle right above his wrist.

Mr. Goldsworthy barley took any notice of it, "Well that certainly explains it."

"You fought with Fitz and Shay?" Kaylie asked with worry lines etched across her face.

"They hurt you Kaylie, I was only trying to protect you."

Mr. Goldsworthy threw his head back and laughed, "How is it that in the process of protecting your sister, you wined up injuring her?" He said, putting emphasis on the word 'protect'. He paced the foyer restlessly, "For Christ's sake Eli, when are you going to learn that what you do affects Kaylie too. Just because you feel the need to put your own life in danger doesn't give you the right to put your sister at risk."

Eli started forward, about to charge his dad but Kaylie stepped between them, keeping them an arms length apart, "Both of you need to stop this, _now_."

Eli and his father each took a step back. They may not have agreed on most things but when Kaylie was upset, they both knew that the best thing to do was listen to her.

"Dinners already on the table, it won't kill you two to sit through one meal together." Kaylie insisted.

They slowly made there way into the dinning room and sat on separate sides of the table.

Leftover take-out wasn't much of a dinner but no one complained about it. They just ate their meal quietly. Their forks clanged against the china and every time someone took a sip of their drink it was like thunder echoing over the silence.

"Okay, I don't want to go back to you two fighting, but someone please say something," Kaylie begged, "Anything, because this is killing me...figuratively speaking..."

But neither Eli nor his dad made an effort to start up a conversation.

Kaylie put down her silverware, having barley touched her food, "One of you has to have something to say."

"I sold the hearse." Said Mr. Goldsworthy so bluntly that he didn't even bother to look up.

"What?" Eli barked, choking on an egg roll. Kaylie also turned her father with a shocked expression.

"Yep, I posted it on the internet and a man contacted me yesterday about it. He's coming next week to pick it up"

"You can't just sell my car without asking me!"

"I already have." His dad said casually while chewing.

"Dad, Eli loves that car. You can't get rid of it." Kaylie protested.

"I spent all my money on that car."

"So get a job and earn your money back."

"What am I supposed to do about getting to school?" Eli asked, both desperate and pissed off.

"I believe they still have those big yellow transportation vehicles. You can try taking one of them."

"And you yell at me for being sarcastic?"

"Stop it..." Kaylie said, but her voice failed to be heard over Eli's.

"I won't let you give away Morty!"

Mr. Goldsworthy pounded his fist on the table and stood up, clearly having reached the end of his patience, "You don't have a say in the matter! I am sick of having to look at that death mobile parked in my driveway everyday! I'm not going to do it anymore!"

Eli and Kaylie knew very well why their father didn't want to see the hearse anymore, but Eli still wasn't about to just give up, "You're not being reasonable! It's not fair to sell someone's possessions without their permission!"

Mr. Goldsworthy stabbed his fork into the table making the plates rattle and Kaylie flinch. "Life isn't fair Eli! I don't need that hearse to sit outside and remind me of how unfair it is!"

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop Talking!" Kaylie screamed clamping her hands over her ears and shaking her head violently. "I can't take it!" A sharp pain spread through her chest below her ribs and she fell sideways off her chair.

"Kaylie!" Mr. Goldsworthy shouted, rushing to his daughter's aid.

Kaylie shut her eyes to block out the pain but it didn't help. When she opened them again she saw Eli through the legs of the table. He too appeared to have fallen off his chair and was gripping his stomach in anguish.

Kaylie suddenly felt overwhelmed with sadness and she burst out sobbing.

"What is it Kaylie? Talk to me." Her dad cooed.

"Don't come near me! Just leave! Stop trying to fight my battles for me and leave me alone, both of you!" She stormed off to her room slamming the door behind her and bolting it shut. Her back slid down the wall as she curled up into a ball and cried.

They didn't understand. Not Eli, or her dad, or anybody. Everyone was too blinded by their sympathy for her to see how much she was ruining their lives. If she hadn't come home from the mental hospital Eli and her dad wouldn't be arguing every other night, and Eli wouldn't have to sell Morty.

_Knock knock. _"Kaylie, are you alright?" Eli called from behind the door.

Kaylie got up and tried to sound normal, "Go away Eli."

He started to jiggle the doorknob, and even through she knew it was locked, Kaylie put her hand over it to stop of from turning. She rested her forehead against the door and she could sense that Eli was doing the same thing on the other side. "Please, Eli," She whispered, "I want to be alone."

Moments passed before she felt him release the doorknob and head back down the hall.

What she really wanted to tell him was to get away from her, as far away from her as he possibly could. Despite what their dad thought, It wasn't Eli who had hurt Kaylie, it was Kaylie who was hurting Eli. She knew it. She saw it in his eyes. It was killing him inside. She couldn't let that happen, she just couldn't.

Even though it hurt her to admit it, she knew what would have to happen. She knew what Eli would have to do...

And he would have to leave Kaylie behind to do it...

**A/N: Drama, drama, drama. Mr. Goldsworthy's gone a bit too far, but the hearse just reminds him to much about his daughters death. He still shouldn't have sold it. I wrote it and even I'm mad at him! Haha. **

**Please review and let me know what you think!**


	10. To Do

Eli woke up to a strange feeling on his left arm. It was as if something tight and sticky had been wrapped around his wrist.

_That's odd, _Eli thought sleepily. He opened his eyes and saw a purple bandage covering the spot where he had been burned just the day before.

Eli sat up in his bed, examining the bandage with blatant curiosity. _When did that get there?_

He rubbed his eyes, too weary to think anymore. He had been tired a lot lately. But this wasn't your average 'lack of sleep' tired; this was the kind that made Eli's bone's ache and his limbs droop heavily at his sides. He hadn't felt all that great when he had gone to bed the night before and he didn't feel any better in the morning, in fact, he felt worse. On top of the crippling drowsiness and the weakness in his joints, he now had a killer migraine.

He got up and walked to the kitchen in a sort of dizzy trance. Kaylie and his father were already eating breakfast.

He yawned as he reached for the Tylenol on the top shelf of the cabinet but it wasn't there.

"Looking for these?" Kaylie said, shaking the bottle in her hand, "I just took two, myself. Here." She threw it to him.

He caught the bottle but struggled to squeeze it hard enough to open the lid. After quite a few minutes of battling with the child-proof-cap, Eli finally got it to pop open. "By the way, thanks for the Band-Aid." He said, chucking a pill into the back of his throat.

"Huh? What Band-Aid?" Kaylie asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Eli lifted his arm and pointed to the purple stripe.

"I didn't do tha—" Kaylie glanced over to her dad who hastily opened his newspaper and buried his face between the pages. Kaylie tried to contain the smile that was spreading across her face but she couldn't seem to hold it back, even when she lied and said, "Oh, your welcome."

Eli decided to stay home and wait out his migraine. Kaylie, on the other hand, yearned to get out of the house, mostly because she wanted to be as far away from Eli as possible but she also hadn't set one foot out her front door in weeks so it wasn't necessarily beyond reason for her to start getting a bit jittery. She tried to slip out the back door over a dozen times but her father always caught her before she could break free.

"You can go outside later." Mr. Goldsworthy promised, but Kaylie knew all too well that _later _may never come.

Overcome by boredom, Kaylie went into the alcove. She looked out the window at all the people passing by. They were so peaceful, blissfully unaware that the girl watching them would soon be dead. Would it matter if she told them? _No, _She thought. She could tell the whole world that she was dying but that still wouldn't stop it from happening, and it certainly wasn't going to give her any more time.

That's when she began thinking about what she would do next. She had spent her previous days sulking alone in her bedroom, but now, gazing down upon all the happy faces of the passerby's, she realized that she wanted to salvage whatever time she had left.

She grabbed a pen and paper from her father's desk and started to imagine the possibilities of what she could do within the remaining two weeks of her life.

Hours flew by, but Kaylie simply couldn't come up with any ideas. She drummed her fingers against the countertop and twitched her foot anxiously.

Then finally, after she had chewed her pen cap down to a nub, the wheels in her brain clicked into place than began to turn and it came to her.

She jotted it down on the paper then held it up to the light to admire her own brilliance.

Things to do before I die:

Get my first kiss

It sounded simple enough and perhaps a bit cliché, but she didn't care. It's all she needed to do. In a way she found herself lucky to be dying at an early age because she hadn't lived long enough to have done anything wrong. If she had been dying when she was in her sixties or seventies than she probably would have had a million affairs she'd want to set in order before she died, but luckily she was sixteen and her needs were far less worldly than that of a seventy year old. At sixteen, her one and only goal was to get that kiss.

Before now she had never given kissing much thought, but when you're on death row like she was, even the smallest things gain new meaning and now kissing was the only thing on her mind.

She hopped up, completely willing to make out with the first boy she saw on the street, but as she turned into the foyer she saw her dad was still busy patrolling the door.

_"Crap" _She breathed. She turned around and went back in her room, thinking that her window may just be large enough to squeeze through.

She had her leg halfway through the opening when her bedroom door swung open. Adam stepped inside, "Um, sorry, I thought this was Eli's room." He explained. "What are you doing anyway?"

Kaylie just stared wide eyed at him, secretly thinking to herself,

_Hmmm...Adam..._

**A/N: Eli's dad may have a softer side after all, I know I know, he's still a jerk but he's a jerk with at least a flicker of a soul...a very tiny flicker... I also know that this chapter was kind of short and that's because it was supposed to be longer but I thought it was a good opportunity for a cliffhanger, so this scene will continue right into the next chapter. **

** Thanks again to everyone who's been reading this story!**

**Please comment and Review!**


	11. Do a friend a favor

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Adam asked.

Kaylie wiggled her way back in through the window and clumsily fell face first onto her carpet.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Adam grabbed her by the arms and helped her to her feet.

Adrenaline pumped through Kaylie's veins making it hard for her to stand still. She longed to kiss him; she was practically bursting with excitement from the mere thought of it but she knew that she couldn't just jump on him, she had to be clever if she wanted to make the moment memorable. A light bulb popped over her head and she asked innocently, "Adam, do you like me?"

"What?"

"Do you like me? I mean, we're friends right?"

Adam looked at her puzzled, trying to figure out where she was going with this, "I like you a lot Kaylie, of course we're friends."

"...And friends do each other favors right?" She said with a hint of seduction in her voice. She started to advance on him and for every step forward, Adam took one back until he was up against the wall.

"Yeah, I suppose..." He muttered softly. Kaylie's face was only inches away from his and he could feel her warm breath against his skin.

"So if I needed you to do something important for me, would you do it?"

"Sure." Adam gulped.

Kaylie grinned, "Good, now that we got that straightened out I do have one favor to ask..." She put her arms around Adam's shoulders and closed her eyes, letting her lips find his like metal to a magnet.

She clutched a wad of his shirt in her hand and drew him in closer, kissing him passionately. She allowed her lips to linger on his just a second longer so that she could capture the moment. But as she was about to pull away Adam leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. He was kissing her. _Actually _kissing her.

She hadn't expected that...

To her, this kiss was nothing but a casual fling that she had intended to be quick and easy. But for Adam there was far more meaning behind it. Kaylie could feel it as his lips strayed from her mouth and gradually worked down her neck.

This wasn't the way she had planned it.

"Adam...Adam stop. I can't do this anymore." She whimpered.

They broke apart. Kaylie looked down sheepishly, "I...I think that this kiss meant more to you than it did to me. You see, I only wanted to get my first kiss before...well, you know. I didn't think that you'd actually..."  
"It's okay." Adam said shyly, his face flooded with color. "I should have known better than to think you really liked me."

"I do like you Adam!" Kaylie insisted, "But I was being selfish. I didn't even consider how this would make you feel. I wanted my first kiss to be special and I guess I lost my head. I should have never gotten you involved, I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He said heading for the exit.

"Hey," Kaylie called to him, "You're going to find yourself a really great girl one day, I guarantee it."

He laughed dryly, "For the record, you would have made some guy very happy."

Kaylie smiled weakly then escorted Adam to the front door. She didn't say anything to him as he left, but had she known that it would be the last time she'd ever see him, than she would have at least taken the time to say goodbye.

**A/N: How sad that young love never seems to last. Sniffle sniffle. Anyway please comment and let me know what you think, its okay if you didn't like it. Frankly I was rooting for them to be together too. Haha**

** I may possibly be posting two chapters tomorrow depending on how late I feel like staying up... wish me luck. **


	12. Expired

_ Blehck, _Kaylie choked, spitting out her cereal, "Dad I think this milks gone bad."

"That can't be, I just bought it last week." He said grabbing the carton. He held it up to his nose and took a whiff, the horrific odor nearly made him gag. "I'm sorry sweetheart; I guess I forgot to check the expiration date. I'll go out and buy some more this afternoon."

As Kaylie watched her father dump the remains of the milk down the drain an uneasy feeling came over her.

_Was I going to end up like that carton of milk? _She thought, _Are they going to cremate me then pour my ashes down the sink? _She saw the last few drops of milk trickle down the pipes and the container was tossed carelessly onto a heap of garbage, reduced to nothing more than a hollow shell.

A chill ran down her spine as a frightening notion entered her mind, had _she_ expired too?

When Mr. Goldsworthy left the room Kaylie snatched the empty carton from the trash and stashed it under her arm.

She went upstairs feeling completely spent by the time she reached the top. But she continued on to her room despite her lack of oxygen. She peeked in Eli's room as she passed...

Sleeping as usual.

When Kaylie finally got to her own room she collapsed on to the old wooden chair that was sitting by her window. She set the milk carton down on the windowsill and smiled, "I guess it's just you and me now."

Kaylie tipped forward a little and caught a glimpse of Mrs. Patterson watering her Azaleas in her backyard.

Was it Spring already? Now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember the last time she'd looked at a calendar. She had no idea what day it was and truthfully, she didn't care. She had far more troubling matters on her mind at the moment.

She had been battling with herself a lot recently. Always trying to find a solution to the same dilemma, should she stay or go?

On the one hand she was putting Eli's life at risk by staying and she couldn't bear to see him endure any more pain on her behalf. However, on the other hand, if she left she'd have to face death alone and that simply terrified her...but fear wouldn't be an excuse if she wound up killing her own brother...

She could feel her chest tightening and she tried to relax but there was too much junk rattling around in her brain to concentrate on anything else.

"What do you think I should do?" She asked the milk carton.

_Cricket, cricket._

Kaylie sighed and sagged back in her chair, "I don't know either."

She closed her eyes and let her mind wander. It wasn't long before she found herself being sucked away into a dream-like memory...

"Come on Kaylie! You'll never win if you keep stopping to play with bugs!" The small dark haired boy yelled back to his sister.

Kaylie just giggled as a caterpillar inched its way up her arm.

Eli rolled his eyes and continued on, running all the way up to the log cabin that they had rented every summer and where his father and mother were sitting around a picnic table flirting.

"So who won?" Mrs. Goldsworthy asked joyfully as Eli came huffing up the hill.

"Didn't you see me mom? I beat Kaylie by a mile!" He gloated, than he folded his arms, "But Kaylie wasn't even trying."

"I was too!" Kaylie argued, coming up along side him.

"No you weren't!"

"Yes I was! I just stopped to pick up this little guy." Kaylie opened her hand and exposed a fuzzy green caterpillar.

"Gross." Eli squealed, imitating puking.

"He's not gross! I love him and I'm keeping him forever!" Kaylie cried, cradling the insect against her shirt.

Mrs. Goldsworthy laughed, "Eli, why don't you go inside and wash up. Your father's almost done with the burgers. Kaylie and I are going to go for a short walk."

Eli hurried into the house while Mrs. Goldsworthy stood up and put a kind hand on her daughter's shoulder, guiding her to the edge of the woods.

"Kaylie, it's hard to hold onto something forever. That's a long time you know?"

"I know," Kaylie said rubbing the caterpillar against her cheek lovingly, "But I'll take good care of him."

"Oh I have no doubt about that, but how do you think that caterpillar feels about all this?"

"Huh?"

Mrs. Goldsworthy kneeled own to Kaylie's height, "Do you think he'll really be happy living in a glass jar when he could be out here in the wild and have the freedom to turn into a beautiful butterfly?"

Kaylie frown, "I guess not but...but I love him."

"I know you do baby," her mom said soothingly, "But sometimes we have to let go of the one's we love so that they can be happy too."

"...okay." Kaylie slowly opened her fist and allowed the caterpillar to crawl away into the grass. She hung her head miserably.

"Cheer up," Mrs. Goldsworthy said brightly, "When I was little, my dad always told me that the things we love will always find a way back to us in the end."

Kaylie sniffled, "Will you love _me_ forever mom?"

"Of course I will sweetie."

"Even if the cancer takes you away from me?"

Now it was Mrs. Goldsworthy's turn to frown. She pushed the hair from her wig back behind her ears. Her eyes swelled with tears as she wrapped her daughter in her arms and squeezed her tight, "Nothing will ever take me away from you. Ever."

Kaylie stood still and let her mother embrace her.

Mrs. Goldsworthy didn't let go of Kaylie until she heard her husband call, "Dinner!"

"Here," Mrs. Goldsworthy said as she dabbed her eyes with her KISS T-shirt. That was her favorite band. She unhooked the guitar pick necklace from around her neck and handed it to her daughter, "You keep it."

Kaylie rolled it in her fingers and felt a tiny engraving of a 'K' on the pick. "'K' for KISS right mom?"

Mrs. Goldsworthy shook her head, "No, 'K' for Kaylie."

Kaylie beamed as she swung it over her head. Knowing that her mom trusted her with her most cherished possession made Kaylie feel more important than she ever had and she wasn't going to let her mom down.

Mrs. Goldsworthy walked back up to the camp ground. She tussled Eli's hair when she walked by and ran into her husband's open arms. He swung her around as they kissed, that always made her smile. That's what Kaylie remembered most about her mother. Her smile. It was always so pure and full of hope.

She had died in the winter of the following year. They never went camping again after that...

Kaylie opened her eyes and she was back in her bedroom. There was a gentle tapping sound coming from outside her window.

Standing up she saw an enormous blue butterfly sitting on the ledge.

Kaylie laughed, she didn't know why, it obviously wasn't funny but for some reason she suddenly felt consumed with joy. She opened her window and extended her pointer finger somehow knowing that the butterfly would climb up.

"Hello again." She said marveling at its beauty. Her mother had been right, he was better off in the wild.

Gracefully, the butterfly took flight. Up, up, and out of sight. That's when it hit Kaylie like being struck in the head with a bat. It was over.

Tonight was the night it would end...

**A/N: It figures that their mom would like KISS. I had to make at least one of their parents somewhat cool haha. Well this is Kaylie's decision time. To stay or go? That is the question. Either way it's not going to be easy...**

**I'm probably going to update later today. Only two chapters left...ahhh! **

** Please Review!**


	13. Letting go

It started with the stars. That was the first thing Kaylie noticed as she slid open her bedroom window and slipped out onto the roof. There must have been thousands of them, which was much more than normal. They twinkled and winked at her like little eyes, encouraging her to continue on...

And that precisely what she did.

XX

Eli and Mr. Goldsworthy were sitting at the dinning room table in an awkward silence. Eli had just called Kaylie down to dinner a few moments before but Eli wasn't exactly the poster child for being patient, "I'm going to go see if Kaylie's alright." He announced.

Just as he scooted his chair back they heard a loud crash that came from the side of the house.

Both Eli and his dad rushed outside, unsure of what they would find but neither of them was expecting this.

Kaylie was lying in the bushes, sprawled out like she had fallen out of the sky.

"Kaylie?" Eli asked, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him.

"How the hell did you get out of the house?" Mr. Goldsworthy hollered, more concerned than angry.

Kaylie untangled herself from the mess of twigs and leaves that were snagged in her hair and spit chunks of dirt onto the ground.

Mr Goldsworthy pointed up to the roof. "Don't even tell me you did what I think you did."

"Wait, you jumped off the _roof_?" Eli said wide eyed.

"I had too. I knew that you two wouldn't let me leave the house any other way."

"Leave? Where do think you're going to go at this hour?" Her father questioned.

"I don't know. All I know is that I have to get out of here before it's too late."

"Too late for what?"

Kaylie took a deep breath to steady herself. She had to be calm and clear because she only wanted to have to say this once, "It's time dad...I'm dying."

Mr. Goldsworthy's face drained of all color an he croaked, "That's ridiculous honey...you're...you're not dying."

"Yes, I am. I know it, and Eli knows it too."

"What?" Eli gasped, confused as to how he got brought into the conversation.

Kaylie turned to him, "You know its happening. You feel it in your gut, I can tell."

"I...I don't know what you're talking about." He lied.

"You're just trying to deny it. You don't want it to be true so you're just trying to pass it off as a stomach ache...but deep down you know I'm right...and you know you'll die if I stay here."

Eli's eyes became shaky and glazed with tears but he couldn't bring him self to tell her she was wrong. He knew she wasn't.

"This is insane!" Mr. Goldsworthy bellowed, "Both of you get back in the house now!"

"But dad I have to—"

"Now!" He ordered.

Kaylie's heart sank as she went back into the house. She was weakening by the minute and her skin had become almost completely transparent. She didn't know how her dad could say she wasn't dying when she so clearly looked like it.

Mr. Goldsworthy massaged his temples rhythmically, "I don't want to hear another word about this from either of you. No one is leaving this house unless I say so, got it?"

"I can't I—"

"Dad's right," Eli said cutting her off, "You can't leave Kaylie."

Kaylie pulled her hair in a panic. The clock was ticking and no one in her family understood how gravely important it was that she get as far away from there as possible. "Eli, you know what will happen to you if I stay."

Eli nodded, "I know, but I'm not going to let you run away so you can die alone. Besides..." His voice trailed off a moment, "I promised mom that I'd look out for you."

"You have looked out for me, Eli. You've taken care of me for years; now please give me a chance to return the favor." She pleaded with him desperately.

Eli opened his mouth like he was about to argue but at the same time his stomach lurched violently and her clamped his hand over his lips. Kaylie barley heard him mutter, "I'm going to puke." Before he darted up the stairs and ran into the bathroom.

... "I'm sure he's okay." Mr. Goldsworthy said in response to the worried expression on Kaylie's face.

She shook her head, "He won't be okay for long if I stay here...Are you still mad at him for sending me to that hospital?"

Mr. Goldsworthy removed his reading glasses and set them on the table, suddenly looking as though the weight of the world had been thrust upon his shoulders, "That really doesn't matter anymore..."

"You are still angry at him aren't you? Well if that's the only thing that's coming between you two than you should be ashamed of yourself because Eli didn't even want to take me there in the first place."

"What?"

"I _wanted_ to go, I _made_ Eli take me. He didn't want to see me leave any more than you did."

Mr. Goldsworthy gawked at her, "But...why?"

Kaylie let her tears roll freely down the sides of her face. She had finally reached the moment where she had nothing to lose an everything poured out of her at once, "Because you weren't listening to me! I was mentally sick and you just ignored it, you pretended not to notice!"

"I didn't want you to feel like you were different from any one else..."

"But I was!" Kaylie sobbed, "You saw me getting more destructive an unpredictable every day and you did _nothing_!"

"I thought I was doing what was best for you..." Mr. Goldsworthy squeaked.

Kaylie threw her hands up in the air, "You're always trying to do what's best dad but you're not seeing straight! You close you eyes when things get even the slightest bit scary because if you can't see the truth than it doesn't exist right?" Kaylie lowered her voice and cupped her father's cheeks in her hands. He hadn't shaved in days and his beard stubble pricked Kaylie's palms. Tears from her father's face splashed onto her hands as she looked him directly in the eyes, "You need to open your eyes and see me for who I truly am. There are some things in this world that you just can't change dad, and my death is one of them...its inevitable...but Eli...Eli doesn't have to die dad." Kaylie whispered between weeping, "You can save him...he's your son and whether you know it or not you love him...You'll never be able to move on if you don't start accepting things as they are, even if it's difficult...you have to try."

Mr. Goldsworthy broke down; he couldn't restrain himself any longer as he pulled his daughter into the tightest hug of her life. Her head rested on his shoulder as he wept.

"It's okay dad..." Kaylie promised, "I'll be okay, but you have to let me go. Please dad...you have to let me go..."

XX

The toilet flushed and Eli made his way back downstairs. He was still whipping the corners of his mouth when he saw his dad hunched over on the dining room chair. His head was in his hands and he was alone...

"Dad...where's Kaylie?"

Mr. Goldsworthy listed his head only an inch, but it was enough for Eli to see the red tear stains running down his face...

XX

Kaylie knew where she wanted to go. It was so clear to her now, everything was so clear. It was like the world had become brighter to her and had she not been dying, she would have felt like she could fly.

She was running down the streets faster than she had ever gone before. She knew where to go; she just needed to make one pit stop along the way...

She came to the house and banged her fist on the door. Moments later she was greeted by non other than Mark Fitzgerald...

**A/N: Why is she at Fitz's house you ask? Well you'll find out tomorrow... (and no she doesn't secretly love him. That's just wrong) haha**

**PLEASE REVIEW! **


	14. Letting go Pt2

"What the hell are you doing here?" Fitz spat, belching as he chugged a Pepsi.

Ordinarily, Kaylie would have been repulsed by this kind of unsanitary behavior, but the time to argue had long since past her and now all she wanted to do was get this over with.

"I need a favor."

"Sorry, but Fitzy doesn't give out favors on a Friday." He tried to slam the door on her but Kaylie put her hand in the way and with all strength she could muster she managed to prevent him from shutting her out, "Look! I need your help and I'm not leaving until I get it!"

Fitz leaned against the door frame coolly, "I'm listening."

Kaylie's eyes were extremely blood shot. She looked about as tired and weak as a woman of ninety, yet she spoke with more determination and power than she ever had before, "This is how it's going to work. You and I are going to go to Cedar Shade Campground, you're going to help me break in and then you're going to leave."

Fitz leered at her, "Whoa, what makes you think I'm going to do any of this?"

"Because," Kaylie growled, taking a threatening step towards him, "I'm dying and as of our last little meeting I would say that you and I are not on the best of terms, but I'm giving you a chance, just one chance, right here and right now, to redeem yourself Mark. As of this very moment I hate you beyond belief, I think you're the scum of the earth and you deserve to rot in hell for what you did to me and my brother."

Fitz opened his mouth but Kaylie held up a finger, "I'm not done. I'm giving you the opportunity to prove me wrong. If you do this for me than you get to be forgiven. You can start with a clean slate and rest easy at night knowing you did something right for once in your life...besides, you really do owe me."

Fitz crushed the Pepsi can right in front of Kaylie's face but she didn't so much as blink, keeping her cold eyes locked onto Fitz's. He tossed the can over his shoulder, "So where is this Camp ground?"

Kaylie smirked, "I'll tell you on the way. Get your keys, you're driving."

They arrived at the Camp site within an hour, but by that time Kaylie was struggling to breathe and her eyelids kept shutting involuntarily. She was sweating but freezing at the same time, it was like all her senses were flickering on and off like the lights do just before the power goes out...

"You okay?" Fitz asked soundly somewhat sympathetic.

Kaylie nodded and rested her head against the cold window, "It's the third cabin on the left. Just pull over somewhere in the woods where no one will see us."

Fitz parked his car under a tree beside the cabin. Based on the thickness of the underbrush and the missing chunks of the wood, it was clear that the place hadn't been visited in several years.

"You took me all the way out here to break into this dump? You could have just broken own the door with your foot." Fitz pointed out as he got the crowbar out of his trunk.

"Just shut up and open the door," Kaylie hissed, "I don't have a whole lot of time."

Fitz did as he was instructed. The porch floor creaked angrily as he kneeled down and started prying at the door hinges.

Hinge one, _pop._

"Hurry..." Kaylie wheezed, "Please."

Hinge two, _pop._

The door tipped inward and hit the roach covered floor with a loud _bang. _

"Well there you go." Fitz said swinging his crowbar over his back.

"Thank you," Kaylie whispered, stepping into the dark room, "You can go now."

Fitz started back to his car, but stopped just before getting in, "Hey," He called, "How are you going to get home?"

Kaylie smiled, "I _am_ home."

XX

"I...I let her go...I had to let her go...I had to..." Mr. Goldsworthy mumbled to himself.

Eli looked at his father in disbelief, "You...you did _what_?"

Mr. Goldsworthy lifted his head to look at his son. _His_ son. It was the first time in months that he had thought of him that way and he had never felt more grateful for Eli's presence. Just the fact that he was still there, talking, breathing, living, made Mr. Goldsworthy feel blessed. His hands shook as he held out a white envelope.

Eli hesitantly grabbed it. His name was written on it in Kaylie's unmistakable handwriting. He pulled out the letter and read it silently, when he was done he shook the envelope and a silver guitar pick necklace fell into his palm. He clutched it tightly in his fist, "How could you let her leave? She's your daughter! Doesn't she mean anything to you?" Eli yelled.

Mr. Goldsworthy got up, but he wasn't mad anymore. He was done with being angry, he wanted to be better than that...He wanted to be a good father again...

"Of course she did. She meant the world to me Eli, but so do you." He said. His voice was gentle and calm, almost soothing.

"Since when do you give a damn about me? Since when do you let your own daughter run away and die all by herself?" Eli screamed, gripping Kaylie's necklace so tight that he could feel it cut into his hand.

Mr. Goldsworthy shook his head sadly.

Eli threw the letter and the necklace across the room, "I've had enough of this! I'm going after her!"

"You can't." Said his father, grabbing Eli by the wrist.

"Let go of me!" Eli cried, clawing at his father's arm. But it seemed that the more he struggled against him, the tighter his dad held onto him. "I have to go after her!" Eli insisted, "I have too!"

Eli kicked and punched, flailing about wildly, desperate to break free but his father was just too strong. He wrapped his arms around Eli's torso and pulled him close, refusing to let go, "There's nothing you can do." He whispered... "She's gone."

With that Eli sank to the floor, still in his father grasp and buried his face as he cried...

XX

This place had always been home to Kaylie. It was the last place her family was together and the memories that were bound in the log walls ran deeper than any house could ever hold. She walked down the hall and let her fingers trace the edges of the kitchen table.

Kaylie closed her eyes, She could still smell the smoke from the pancakes that her father had burnt on that very stove. And she felt the warmth of the sun that used to shine in through the crack Eli had made when he threw a rock at the roof, and the laughter of her mother rang in her ears like the sound of sweet music.

She went over to the back door and saw the picnic table on the other side of the glass. It had been concealed underneath a heap of weeds but it was still in tact and just beyond that was the hill where she and Eli used to race.

"_Come on Kaylie!" _His voice still echoed of when they were young. But that was all behind her, and now she had nowhere to go but forward. She strolled out back to the place where she had set her caterpillar free. A lone dogwood tree was left in the clearing; the rest had been leveled along with the other cabins.

Kaylie caressed the one and only leaf remaining on that poor bare tree. She felt something smooth touch her finger and as she peered underneath the branch she found a small green cocoon clinging to a twig. Proof that life could grow in even the deadest of places. Kaylie smiled, feeling completely at peace and sat against the bark.

The stars were shining brightly again, welcoming her into heaven...

XX

"Is it dead?" The little boy asked his father.

He shook his head and stood over the butterfly that lye motionless on the floor, "I don't think so; it probably just ran into the window and knocked itself out." He replied, scooping the tiny creature onto a piece of paper

"It looks dead to me." Said a small blonde haired girl as she popped up over her brother's shoulder.

"It's not dead! Dad said it wasn't" The boy cried.

"What is all that noise?" Their mother called from down the stairs. Then she appeared in the doorway wiping her hands on her apron. "Eli, what are the kids doing in our bedroom?"

"It's nothing Claire," He assured her, "They were just worried about this little guy." He said showing her the butterfly.

Claire frown, "How on earth did he even get in here?" She clicked her tongue, "Poor thing."

"It's dead isn't it mommy?" The boy asked tugging on her dress.

Claire smiled and patted his head, "I'm sure it's only sleeping. Dinner's on the table so you two better go wash up." Her children, Teddy and Rose both groaned as they marched down the stairs.

Claire looked at her husband with concern, "Are you okay?"

Eli nodded, "Yeah, I'll be down in a minute...there's something I have to do first."

Once Claire had had gone back in the kitchen, Eli went and opened the window. He placed the butterfly on the ledge gently. Its wings twitched and flopped, slowly returning to normal. Eli grinned, "You thought I forgot didn't you?...I knew you'd come back."

The butterfly sprung off the windowsill and into the air, rising up above the trees. Eli shook his head and laughed shutting the window as he brought his head back inside. On his way to the door he passed by a picture of him and Kaylie when they were young. She was smiling and giving him bunny ears. _So like her_, he thought. There was a necklace draped across the edge of the frame, the one that had been engraved with a 'K' and right beside that was a note, one Eli had kept with him for many, many years...

_Dear Eli, _

_I guess I know you too well don't I? How else could you explain how I knew I'd end up having to say goodbye to you in a letter. I do regret not being able to tell you in person but by opening this letter it confirms that sometime within the last few hours of my life you and I came to a disagreement and I was unable to say my farewells before I left. I really hope you never have to see this letter Eli, but if you must, and perhaps you are reading it now, than I want you to know how truly sorry I am for leaving. What I did, I did not only for you, but for me as well and I hope that you don't find it selfish of me when I say that I wasn't afraid of you dying, I was afraid of you dying because of me. Everyone dies Eli, one day you'll understand that, but until then I'm going to tell you exactly what mom told me, the things we love will always find a way back to us in the end. Keep that in mind every time the breeze blows or a butterfly passes by your window, because I'll never really leave you Eli. I'll just be hidden in the stars. _

_P.S. I enclosed my necklace in this envelope. I know you'll take good care of it for me._

_With love forever and always,_

_Kaylie_

* * *

'_Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.' __-Eskimo Proverb _

* * *

**A/N: wow, it's two in the morning. This chapter took forever! Yet the whole time I was writing I just kept thinking how un-degrassi like this is...somehow I morphed my fanfic into just a plain story...sorry, I really didn't mean to, but i hope you enjoyed it anyway. Anyway, I was in a Harry Potter mood last night, hence the names Rose and Teddy. Haha, i've never been good at naming things. My dogs name was 'dog' for an entire week of her life...**

**The End**

**Please review! **


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